Hospital or invalid bed



Jan. 11, 1938. A. L. HURST 2,105,040

' HOSPITAL OP..INVALID BED Filed 'Sept. 12, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 11, 1938. A. L. HURST 2,105,040

HOSPITAL OF. INVALID BED Filed Sept. 12, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 BWMAM Patented Jan. 11, 1938 UNITED -STATES PATENT OFFICE v "2,1o5,o4o" q nosrrran on INVALID BED Albert L. Hurst, Winston-Salem, N. 0. Application September 12, 193 Serial No. 100,523

1 Claim.

My, invention relates to improvements in hospitals or invalidbeds. i

An important object of the invention is to provide a bed of the above mentioned character,

6 which will permit the use of a bed pan or the like,

withathe minimum inconvenience to the patient and the minimum work on the part of the nurse or operator. j

A further object of the invention is to provide "an attachment which may be applied to the ordiembodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, Figure 3 is a side elevation of thesame, Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on line 44 of .Figure 3,

Figure-5 is a longitudinal section taken on line 4 '5-5 of Figure 4, and, i

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the" slide bracket and associated elements.

illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, a hospital bed is shown comprising a head I0, foot 1 I, and side rails l2, connecting the same. The bed further comprises a'spring bottom including a frame I3, to whichis attached -a-spring mattress orbottom l4, including links Iii-having hooks It at their ends. These links are arranged in transverse and horizontal sets and are connected by coupling elements 11, receiving the hooks l6 therein. The spring bottom or mat- :tress may be angularly adjusted, so that the patient maybe supported at different angular positions, as is well known in hospital beds, and for this purpose the spring bottom is formed in a head section I8, an intermediate section l9, and a foot section 20. The foregoing is the construction of the conventional hospital or invalid bed. My invention embodies an adjustable support which is bodily suspended from the intermediate section of the spring bottom. This adjustable support comprises a casing 2|, including an upper rectangular frame 22, preferably formed of angle iron, and a lower rectangular frame 23, preferably formed of angle iron. These frames forming a part Figure 1 is a perspective view. of a hospital bed 0 'In the drawings wherein-for the purpose of are rigidly connected by sheets or plates 24, which may be formed of sheet metal or any other suitable material, to provide a closed casing. Access is had to one side of the casing, at one side of the bed, by a door 25, hinged at 26, and which may be held closed'by gravity or by any suitable means.

Mounted to move vertically within the casing 21 is a, plug support 21, in the form of a rectangularframe, of angle iron or the like. This frame is adapted to be moved into the upper frame 22 to assume a position flush with the upper surface thereof and to be moved to a position adjacentto the lower frame 23, so access may be had thereto by opening the door 25. The frame 23 carries a plug spring bottom 28, similar to the spring bottom 14, which is attached to the same.- Rigidly attached to the opposite ends of the frame 21 are brackets 29, Figure 6. These brackets are generally L-shaped and their vertical arms are adapted to extend within the frame 21 and carry horizontal extensions 30,-attached to the horizontal web of the angle iron frame 21, by rivets 3| or the like. The horizontal arms 32 of the brackets. 29 have elongated vertical sleeves 33, rigidly secured thereto, and these sleeves-have a sliding fit upon vertical guide rods 34. -The'vertical guide rods 34 are disposed at the opposite ends of the upper and lower frames 22 and 23, atpoints equi-distantly spaced from the opposite {sides thereof and are.rigidly attached to the frames 22 and 23, as shown at 35. The function of the rods 34 and brackets 29 and elongated sleeves 33 is to guide the plug frame 21. in its vertical movement and prevent any perceptible tilting action of the same. The opposite end sheets 24 are provided with elongated slots 36, through which the horizontal arms 32 of the brackets project.

Means are provided to raise and lower the brackets 29, comprising endless sprocket chains 31, arranged exteriorly of and adjacent to the opposite ends of the casing 2|. These sprocket chains engage about upper and lowersprocket wheels 38 and 39, carried by stub shafts 40, suitably attached to the end sheets 24. The sprocket wheels 38 and 39 are disposed in vertically aligned pairs, adjacent to the slots 36, affording vertical runs of the sprocket chains which are attached to knuckles 4|, Figure 6, by pintles 42. The knuckles 4| are rigidly attached to the horizontal arms of the brackets. The sprocket chains extend laterally and outwardly from their vertical runs and toward one side of the bed and pass about the sprocket wheels 43, rigidly attach'ed to a horizontal longitudinal shaft 44. The shaft 44 is journalled in bearings 45, which are rigidly attached to the casing 2|. The shaft 44 extends near and parallel with one side of the bed and is equipped at one end with a worm wheel 48 and this worm wheel engages and is driven by' a worm 4 formed upon a transverse shaft 48. This shaft is journalled in bearings 48, rigidly attached to the casing 2|. extends to and slightly beyond the side of the bed remote from the shaft 44 and is equipped at its free end withia crank '50, by means of which it may be turned.

In applying the device or attachment to the bed, a suitable number of links [5 in the intermediate portion IQ of the spring bottom are removed, to provide a rectangular opening, and the hooks at the ends of the links adjacent to this opening are engaged within apertures 5!, formed 7 transversely of the bed, as explained. The casing 2| is entirely and bodily supported by and from the spring bottom i4 and the lower end of thecasing is spaced'from the floor so that it does not contact therewith at any time. This eliminates the use of the usual complicated structure for attachment to the frame of thebed or the frame of the spring bottom, and'permits'of the casing 2| being permanently yieldingly supported by the spring bottom, thereby increasing .the comfort of the bed, in use.-

The numeral 52 designates a mattress arranged upon the spring bottom l4 in the usual manner.

. Thismattress is provided in its portion over the intermediate section l9 of-the springbottom, with an -opening 53, for receiving a mattressplug 54, which. rests upon the vertically movable plug frame 21, and may be attached thereto for movement therewithyif desired. The mattress plug '54',when in the uppermost position, has its upper I surface flush with the upper surface of the mattress 52 and thereforeforms a continuation of the mattress. v

The operation of the bed is as follows: With the plug frame 21 in the uppermost position, the mattress plug 54 forms, in effect, a continuation of the mattress 52, and the bed may be used in the ordinary manner. The presence of the plug and the means to raise and lower it,

does not interfere with the angular adjustment of the head and foot sections 18 and 20 of the spring bottom. When it is desired thatthe patient use a bed pan or the like, the crank 50 is turned in a direction to cause the sprocket chains 31 to move the brackets 29 downwardly. The downward movement of these brackets moves the plug frame 21 downwardly, in turn lowering the mattress plug 54. When the plug frame and mattress plug are moved to the lowermost position opposite the door 25, this door is opened, and the bed pan placed upon the plug frame 2L The crank 5b is now turned in a direction to raise the plug frame 21, which will elevate the bed pan and bring the The shaft 48 ,taken asa preferredexample of the same, and.

that various changes in the size, shape, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope ofthe subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

,A bed comprising a spring bottom for supporting a mattress having an opening formed therein, the. spring bottom having an opening to be arranged adjacent to the opening in the mattress, the opening .in the spring bottom' being spaced a considerable distance from the sides and ends of the spring bottom, a vertical'casing attached to and suspended from the spring bottom' at the opening therein and entirely supported by the spring bottom to partake of the yielding action of the spring bottom, said casing having its 0pposite sides also spaced a considerable distance from the sides of the-spring bottom, said casing having its opposite ends provided with longitudinal slots, a plug frame mounted within the casing to be moved vertically, vertical guide rods mounted within the casing and rigidly secured thereto and disposed adjacent to the slots and arranged between the plug frame andv the ends of the casing, bracketsrigidly attached to the opposite portions of the plug frame and having guide sleeves slldably mounted upon the vertical rods, said brackets also extending through the slots to the outer sides of the ends, upper and lower spaced sprocket wheels mounted upon the outer side of each end of thecasing adjacent to the ends ofthe slot, a sprocket chain mounted adjacentto each end of the casing and engaging the upper and lowersprocket wheels to provide a vertical run which is attached to the adjacent bracket between thev sprocket wheels, both sprocket chains extending laterally from the upper and lowerv sprocket wheels to andbeyond the same side of the casing, a horizontal shaft disposed outwardly of and mounted upon the last named side of the casing and arranged close to the casing, sprocket wheels mounted upon the horizontal shaft and engaging the sprocket chains, a worm wheel mounted upon the horizontal shaft, a transverse shaft mounted upon the casing and having a worm to engage the worm wheel, and an element accessible from one side of thespring bottom to turn the transverse shaft, the arrangement being such that the hori- .zontal shaft, sprocket wheels carried thereby, and

worm wheel are disposed inwardly of the spring bottom and covered by the spring bottom.

ALBERT L. HURST. 

